Glamourising your cocktail

Tim Etherington is a mixologist who has cast the spell of his cocktails almost all across the globe. Think England, think New Zealand, think India — well, you get the picture. At the moment, he’s sipping his way through India, well not exactly, but he is indeed the judge for Diageo’s World Class — the training programme and competition for bartenders — and is being the arbiter of taste when it comes to the perfect cocktail.

Talking about the growing cocktail culture in India, even as the cloud of an economic downturn hangs overhead, Tim is extremely enthusiastic about the future. Well, reading tea leaves is passé; we look into the cocktail glasses, madams and monsieurs and here is what the future holds — the return of glamour.

Though the first reference of the term cocktail was made on print at around 1806, the idea of it being a glamorous house party drink came much later, around the 1920s, complete with Hollywood flapper dresses, crimped and waved hairstyles, tinkling laughter et al. Some attribute the popularity of cocktails to the need of having to cover up the bad taste of illegal liquor during the American Prohibition era, others just call it inspiration. Of course at that time, gin and rum were the base liquors and vodka was yet to make an appearance. But glamour was nevertheless the essential ingredient.

And Tim starts from that point of reference. “Cocktails have come back to that. Bartenders are celebrities these days, people take an interest in their drinks — they go to specific places for a particular cocktail experiences. Think of London or New York — the modern cocktail culture is amazing, it is glamorous and sophisticated,” he tells us.

But is it easy on the pockets, when we need to watch our budgets with a hawk-eye? He claims that during economic downturns, wine sales and premium liquor sales go down when compared to cocktails. “People want that one moment, that one wonderful experience that they can’t get out of a bottle of beer and bartenders give them that, with extravagant, creative cocktails. It is a temporary escape,” he explains.

Talking about the character of cocktails in the coming days, Tim avers, “The character of cocktails will continue to diversify as bars begin to specialise in particular styles of cocktails. We are already seeing this in more developed cocktail cultures such as London or in the cities in the US. It’s a very exciting time for the consumer as they can choose the venue depending on the type of experience they wish to have — much like they do when choosing a restaurant.” Well, the last year has indeed seen a lot happening on the cocktail scene — right from fruit foams made with CO2 canisters to barrel-aging of spirits and tobacco-infusions and more. Will some of it make its way down to India? Tim seems positive. “Indian bartenders are always inspired by some of the fancier side of international trends. Certainly, we will see small pockets of bars experimenting with more advanced techniques; but we still need to do a lot of work on just getting the basics right first. I would prefer to see bartenders focusing on perfecting basic techniques, using high quality ingredients and working on their service skills, rather than just gimmicky mixology.”

And when it comes to the base, he feels change is in the air. “Vodkas such as CIROC, which is the fastest growing luxury vodka in the world, will continue to grow at a rapid pace in India; but we will also begin to see consumers become more open minded in their choices as the professionalism of India’s bartenders increase and more high quality brands are released such as Ron Zacapa rum and Don Julio tequila,” he prophecies.

We prod him on liqueur-based cocktails, and he agrees that there is going to be a growth there too. “We are seeing brands such as Grand Marnier doing very well in India which makes an excellent base to cocktails,” he points out.

As we conclude our conversation, he lets us know, that according to him, the ones who indulge, “are those who enjoy the finer things in life and are open minded enough to go on a flavour adventure rather than just sticking to drinking the same spirit all the time.”

We’ll happily drink to that. And if you’re thinking drink what, then check out the recipe that Tim Etherington calls, “simple, refreshing and easy to make.”

Sciroco
What you need

60ml CIROC grape vodka
15ml freshly squeezed lime juice
10ml sugar syrup
60ml cranberry juice
Handful of mint

Here’s how
Combine all ingredients in a highball glass and gently press the mint with the back of a bar spoon. Fill the glass with ice and stir. Garnish with a fresh sprig of mint.